The hottest team in football has the honor of opening up the week 11 slate on Thursday as the Patriots travel to Atlanta to take on the 4-5 Falcons.
The game will kick off from Mercedes-Benz Stadium at 8:20pm, with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman on the call for FOX.
Here are the betting lines for Thursday night’s game, thanks to our exclusive wagering partner BetOnline.ag:
Spread: Patriots -7.5
Total: 47.5
Moneyline: Patriots -300/Falcons +250
After slaughtering the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, the Patriots sit at 6-4 and are currently the fifth seed in the AFC. According to BetOnline.ag, New England now holds 9/1 (+900) odds to win the AFC, and 20/1 (+2000) odds to win the Super Bowl. I wrote about the Patriots chances of actually winning the big game earlier in the week, check it out HERE: It’s Time to Start Asking the Question – Can the Patriots Win the Super Bowl?
After letting up an opening drive touchdown to Baker Mayfield and the Browns, New England finished Sunday off with 45 unanswered points en route to their fourth straight win.
Rookie phenom (which I’ve been waiting two months to call him) Mac Jones completed 19 of his 23 attempts for 198 yards and three touchdowns – two of which went to tight end Hunter Henry. Here’s a clip of their second connection, which made it 38-7:
Rookie running back Rhamondre Stevenson shined as well in his first NFL start in place of the injured Damien Harris. Stevenson carried the ball 20 times for 100 yards and two touchdowns. New England played their most complete game of the season – and although it may be a little early to peak, I think they showed that they’re here to stick around.
Meanwhile, the Falcons got dismantled by a lopsided score of 43-3 against the Cowboys on Sunday. Franchise cornerstone Matt Ryan had arguably his worst game as a Falcon, and frankly this team has been a disaster ever since they let up a 28-3 lead to the Patriots in Super Bowl LI.
The only hope Atlanta has right now is in rookie tight end Kyle Pitts and fourth year wide receiver Calvin Ridley. Pitts looks to be budding into a start tight end, and Ridley has had an outstanding start to his career. The next Falcons QB is going to have a solid 1-2 punch to throw to once they inevitably kick the can on Ryan.
Can Mac Jones continue his solid play against the Falcons? Check out CLNS Media beat reporter Evan Lazar’s film review of Jones’ week 10 performance HERE:
The Patriots should get three important players back this week as RB Damien Harris, WR/PR Gunner Olszewski, and LB Josh Uche all returned to practice on Tuesday.
Jake Bailey, Ja’Whaun Bentley, Brandon Bolden, Trent Brown, Kyle Dugger, Nick Folk, N’Keal Harry, Dont’a Hightower, Shaq Mason, Jalen Mills, Jonnu Smith, and Kyle Van Noy were all listed as limited on Tuesday.
Deatrich Wise Jr. missed Tuesday’s practice with an illness.
Atlanta looks like they’ll be missing ATH Cordarelle Patterson on Thursday as he’s dealing with an ankle injury. The Falcons offense has ran through Patterson this entire season. He has 39 receptions for 473 yards and five touchdowns as a pass catcher, and 77 rushing attempts for 303 yards and two touchdowns as a running back.
Tight end Hayden Hurst, cornerback Kendall Sheffield, and linebacker Daren Bates all did not practice on Tuesday.
I learned my lesson last week, and I will (probably) never predict a Patriots loss again. However, they can still win without covering the spread – and I think that’s what happens on Thursday night. With both teams coming off of a short week, I don’t think this is going to be the walk in the park for New England that everyone thinks it is. It’ll be close, but the Pats ultimately go down to Atlanta and win it in the end.
Prediction: Patriots 20 – Falcons 17
Side: Falcons +7.5
Total: UNDER 47.5
Make sure to follow Mike on Twitter @mikekadlick, and follow @PatriotsCLNS for the latest up-to-date Patriots news!
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